Fauda Base: Israeli children taught to play terrorist hunters in mock Palestinian town

A public Israeli facility is teaching children as young as six how to shoot firearms, become undercover operatives, dress as "terrorists" and play soldiers taking control of a Palestinian village, HaMakom reported on Tuesday. 

The facility, called "Fauda Base", is located in central Israel. 

It is named after the controversial Israeli Netflix series Fauda (meaning "chaos" in Arabic), which follows an elite mista'arvim undercover unit who spend their days infiltrating occupied Palestinian territories and killing Palestinians. 

The facility is run in collaboration with the company YES, which produces the hit TV series. It was established in 2021 by veteran members of Mista'arvim and other special units. 

Fauda Base simulates an espionage operation to save the country and captives, said one of the operators of the facility back in 2021.

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Visitors can experience "a day in the life of a soldier in a special mista'arvim unit, participating in a special operation and saving human lives," according to the facility's website.

"What will you do when you hear them scream? Have you always dreamed of going undercover? Now's your chance to know what it's like to battle undercover," reads the homepage.

In addition, Fauda Base operators promise that visitors "will be able to shoot all kinds of guns used by special forces: M4s, Glocks, Uzis, Tavors, sniper rifles, Kalashnikovs, and more," referring to various weapons, some of them used by Israeli security forces.

All weapons used in the facility are airsoft guns, according to the website. "For the most part, you will not be shooting at each other. Instead, you shoot at various targets."

Mista'arvim units are known for their operations within civilian Palestinian population. Just last month, a mista'arvim unit assassinated a Palestinian man in Nablus in broad daylight. 

Last year, a mista'arvim unit raided a hospital in Jenin disguised as medical staff and women and killed three patients and civilians. 

‘Special operation’

According to HaMakom, the facility's customers include labour unions, businesses, youth movements and education departments from local authorities, along with other groups that work with children and teens.

Its flagship activity is called "Fauda special operation", in which participants must plan an operation in a Palestinian village after they are divided into different roles.

Participants "will receive combat equipment that includes personal weapons, commando uniforms or mista'arvim clothes, all in accordance with their role in the unit," said the website.

According to the HaMakom report, visitors wear keffiyeh, galabeya and beards to resemble Palestinians. "In addition, they also paint their teeth in order to make them look dirty or missing."

According to the website, staff and visitors "will play terrorists, some of them innocent civilians, others mista'arvim agents, and all of them together will create a lively, unique and unforgettable environment that takes the participants to levels of excitement and extremes that they have not yet experienced."

'They also paint their teeth in order to make them look dirty or missing'

- HaMakom news site

The participants will have to "become an operational combat team in a mista'arvim unit. The team must begin a series of training that includes shooting training, warfare in urban areas, Krav Maga, and more."

The activity at Fauda Base takes place in an imaginary village called "El Mahmoudiya", where visitors can find "a small market, a restaurant and several buildings where Fauda's special activities are carried out."

After the operation in the fictional Palestinian village, visitors are invited to a "Bedouin village", which provides an "oriental, authentic and unforgettable experience," where they can rest, eat and enjoy the feeling of solidarity and brotherhood of fighters, according to the website.

Although the Fauda Base website states that the minimum age to participate in activities is 15 (12 in the English version), a facility representative told HaMakom that the minimum age for shooting practice is six.

In response to HaMakom questions, Fauda Base denied that the activity is open to children as young as six and said the minimum age is 16.

"We work with youth movements, education departments and other organizations, but the activity is for high school ages and older," it said.

According to the facility's operators, there is no shooting at targets or figures. 

"The activity at the Fauda Base is an experiential activity, not an educational one, full of love for the Arabic language and culture which is part of every good mista'arv person," it added.

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